Senior Information Page
COUNSELING CURRICULUM & VOCATIONAL NOTEBOOKS
Seniors should continue to
update the participation section of their notebooks. Keeping track of
your present activities, awards, employment, and community service will
be important for your college and scholarship applications this year. Your notebook also has the Occupation
Review(s) and Occupations List you completed as a sophomore and a Career Pathways activity you completed as a junior. Please
continue to look at these occupations and other possibilities for your
future. This year with your counselors you will:
1) Review your transcript and complete a credit check
2)Complete the CALS self-assessment if applicable
3) Register for tests of your choice: ASVAB, ACT, COMPASS
4) Enter the Career Connections online services and add to your NCIS career study
5)
Learn about Financial Aid Night, College Fair opportunities, letters of
recommendation, NCAA, Student Opportunities, college/military
recruitment, making a college choice, and
college testing and entrance information
6) Learn about the Transcript Request process
7) Review this entire website with your counselors
VOCATIONAL
NOTEBOOKS CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE HIGH SCHOOL MEDIA CENTER.
NOTEBOOKS CAN BE CHECKED OUT BY STUDENTS AND VIEWED BY PARENTS AT
PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES.
SENIOR RESPONSIBILITIES
A senior student is responsible for the following post-high related school duties:
*Completing and sending registration materials for college entrance exams (i.e: ACT)
*Keeping track of important deadlines and other dates
*Completing college applications
*Filling for the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) with the help of parents/guardians
*Applying for scholarship opportunities.
SENIORS AND COLLEGE TESTING
Review the TESTING AND ENTRANCE INFORMATION link to gain valuable information about which test you should take for college. The link informs you about the different tests used by colleges when
considering applicants. We suggest that all college-bound students take the ACT at least once. Other tests should be consider depending on which college you plan to attend. Use the college's website to confirm which test(s) are required or recommended. Also, see the ACT link under "MY PAGES" for deadlines and test prep options.
SENIORS AND THE ASVAB
This
Career Exploration Program is designed to help you learn more about
yourself and the world of work, identify and explore potentially
satisfying occupations, and develop an effective strategy to realize
your goals. Interested Juniors and Seniors can sign up with Mrs.
Verkamp by Friday, October 31st to take this November 17th test.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Use the SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION link to gain access to scholarship websites and opportunites through the counseling office. This site is updated weekly as new opportunities are mailed to the counselors. Many of the scholarships can be accessed The first website link at this site is through Education Quest, a free college resource who provides a detailed scholarship search. This search will allow a student to complete a scholarship match to his or her interests, demographics, etc.
The LOCAL SCHOLARSHIPS link will provide seniors will scholarship opportunities from local donors. These scholarships are only available to seniors at Waverly High School. In April, seniors can click on opportunities of their choice, complete the applications, and turn those applications into the counseling office. Local applications will be "live" for download at 9:30AM on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 and due in the counselors' office by 3PM on Friday, April 24th.
An informational meeting will be held with all seniors regarding this process in late March.
NEBRASKA CAREER CONNECTIONS & COLLEGE APPLICATIONS
Seniors should use NEBRASKA CAREER CONNECTIONS to find an occupation that best
matches their strengths, interests, and post-secondary possibilities.
Please use the NCC link to apply for colleges and universities as well.
http://www.nebraskacareerconnections.org
NCC WILL ALLOW YOU TO APPLY ONLINE TO MOST COLLEGES AND/OR UNIVERSITIES THROUGHOUT THE NATION.
THE PROCESS: 1) Enter the NCC site above
2) Enter your (the student's) user name and password
3) Click on "OPTIONS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL"
4) Choose "Click Here" for schools in Nebraska or Nationwide (choose the institution name, region, state, etc)
5) Click on the college's name
6) Click on the college's website under CONTACT INFORMATION
7) Find the online application
NOTE: Seniors should apply to a college (or a few colleges-2 or 3) of their choice before December 18th. (Applying to a college does not mean that you are obligated to attend). Early application of this kind will meet college deadlines as well as put your student in the college's scholarship pool early.
TRANSCRIPT REQUESTS:
When a student applies to colleges, those colleges will request that the student have transcripts sent to them. The student can come to the counseling office to make a request. He or she will be asked to complete a TRANSCRIPT REQUEST form that the counseling secretary will provide. If the student is 18 years of age, he or she can complete the form; if he or she is 17 years of age or young, he or she will need a parent/guardian to sign for the transcript release. Once that form is returned to the counseling secretary (listing names of colleges that transcripts should be sent to), the counseling secretary will complete the process and send those official transcripts.
LINCOLN AREA COLLEGE FAIR:
Please
do not miss this opportunity to meet with representatives of your
choice from over 100 colleges. Every college and university in
Nebraska--and some from other states--will be represented at this fair,
which will take place on the Southeast Community College campus in
Lincoln (8800 O Street) from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 19th.
Attendance is free and open to the public.
OTHER LINKS UNDER "MY PAGES" TO USE:
*The RECRUITMENT/COLLEGE VISITS
link provides seniors a list of the times and dates that colleges and
military recruiters will be at Waverly High School to provide
informational sessions. These sessions provide information about
programs, tuition, housing, financial aid, entrance requirements,
etc. Interested seniors can register for one of these in-school
visits in the counselors' office. Students will receive passes from
class to attend.
*The RECOMMENDATION LETTER
link will be of assistance when students need a letter of
recommendation. This form can be filled out and given to a teacher,
employer, etc. to help him or her write a thorough letter of
recommendation. If you ask one of the counselors to write you a
letter, he or she will require this form and at least one-week's
notice.
*The STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES
link provides great leadership-building and resume-building
opportunities, some of which provide award and scholarship
opportunities. Look closely to see what is available to seniors.
*MAKING A COLLEGE CHOICE can be difficult. This link will provide you a list of questions to consider during the process.
*FINANCIAL AID NIGHT
is an opportunity for juniors and seniors--and their
parents/guardians--to learn about the FAFSA, student aid, loans,
scholarships, grants, etc. See the link for details.
*The NCAA-CLEARINGHOUSE link is for students considering college athletics at the Division I or Division II level.
*Use the GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
link to ensure that you are gaining the credits that you need to
graduate and to know what course-track your counselors recommend to
best prepare you for college.
Under-Utilizing Your Senior Year
A MISSED OPPORTUNITY
Your senior year is the stepping-stone to an exciting future. Please ask yourself the following questions:
1. What will benefit my future and me the most that I can accomplish next year at Waverly High School?
2. Are there courses that I didn't have the time to take earlier in high school?
3. Are there areas that I have some interest in, but didn't have time to dig deeper by taking more advanced courses in the subject?
4. Are there some courses I always wanted to take just for fun or out of curiosity?
If you feel that your senior year is a time to slide by and take a break, please think through that decision again. Studies show that seniors who take a full, challenging load their senior year have an easier transition to their future education. In addition, this is your last opportunity to receive an education without a big tuition fee. That is a special privilege and we want that opportunity for you. As a senior you bring leadership and talent to Waverly High School that the underclassmen benefit from.
Make your senior year a year full of education that will open your future. Enroll in classes for that future.
According to the College Board. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
*Taking it easy senior year may seem like a nice break, but is likely to do more harm than good. Incomplete high school preparation can contribute to academic problems in college.
*As many as half of all college students are required to take remedial courses.
*More than a quarter of the freshmen at 4-year colleges and nearly half of those at 2-year colleges do not even make it to their sophomore year.
*College admission officers pay close attention to your performance senior year.
* Senior year is your opportunity to strengthen your skills and broaden your experiences, in school and out, to prepare for the challenges ahead.
*You should take the most rigorous courses available, and be sure to continue taking college- track subjects.
According to the National Commission on the High School Senior Year:
*The high school senior year and graduation is not so much a finish line as a relay station.
*It is recommended that students spend half their time (senior year) enrolled in higher-level academic courses including mathematics and science.
*A high school diploma, earned by taking non-college preparatory classes, will leave too many graduates trapped in low-paying jobs with unpromising futures.
*The high school senior year too often represents a lost opportunity to link students with either postsecondary studies or work.
*The U.S. is unique in that no other advanced country expects students to work, or permits them to work long hours at low-skill jobs just to earn spending money.
District 145 Public Schools
and
Educational Service Unit #6, Milford, Nebraska
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